Watch Your Thoughts
by ParchmentandQuill8
Summary: A short oneshot inspired by Frank Outlaw's "Watch Your Thoughts"


**So apparently I've been gone for a really long time? Like, almost three months. Anyway, I'm back now! Yay!**

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 _Watch your thoughts, for they become your words_

Leonard thought about Sara a lot. From day one, he could tell that she would be an important person in his life. He just couldn't figure out why. That didn't really bother him. Throughout his life, he'd learned that if something good was happening, he didn't necessarily have to add to it. He could just as well sit and enjoy it, so that's what he did.

For some reason, he enjoyed caring about Sara. He liked worrying about her, even if he knew she could take care of herself. He liked covering her during battles, even if he knew she didn't need his protection. He liked thinking about Sara because he'd never thought about someone in that way before. Lisa was his sister, so he had to protect her. Mick, he was more concerned about reining in. The way he thought about Sara was different. It could be whatever it became.

 _Watch your words, for they become your actions_

He didn't really know when he and Sara started talking to each other. He didn't really care though; he was just glad it was happening. He liked that she listened to him. He liked that he didn't see any pity or sorrow on her face when he told her stories of his childhood. He liked that she understood when he had to stop talking. She understood his limits. She understood his breaking points and she kept him away from them.

He liked what she had to say too. She'd led a far more interesting life than Leonard had and her stories reminded him that no matter how bad things got, it was always possible to recover. She had, after, been dead and now here she was. Talking with Sara made him not so worried about who he would become.

 _Watch your actions, for they become your habits_

Leonard couldn't remember who'd initially started the card games he and Sara played. It probably happened during one of times they were floating aimlessly around the time stream with nothing to do and nowhere to go. Leonard played through the whole team before getting to Sara. She actually managed to beat him. After that, he only played cards with her. They usually played gin, but they'd occasionally play poker or war. Sometimes they'd talk, sometimes they wouldn't; it didn't really make a difference. Sara was the first person in a long time who was able to consistently beat him (the others being his father and his grandfather, who'd taught him how to play in the first place). Leonard had tried to teach Lisa and Mick to play once, but they were both too impulsive to be any good. They'd play the first card they saw and never thought about how that could impact their move. Sara was different. She played cards like she fought. She was calculating; her moves were thought out and strategic, and, like most of their sparring sessions, she beat him.

 _Watch your habits, for they become your character_

So what if he preferred to be partnered with Sara on missions? She was by far the strongest member of the team, even above Raymond and his super-suit. She would be anyone's first choice in battle. That didn't stop people from shooting him a funny look whenever he asked her to work with him.

It wasn't his fault that she was the only one on the team he was truly comfortable around. They worked well together and shouldn't Rip want people who work well together to be partnered on a mission? Leonard trusted Sara and that should have scared him, but it didn't. Sara trusted him, too, and that should _really_ scare him because the ex-assassin didn't trust anyone. For some reason, whatever that reason was, none of that scared Leonard at all.

 _Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny._

He loved her. He knew that now. He just wished he'd realized sooner, not that knowing that he loved Sara would have made him rethink his decision to hold down that failsafe. He wanted Sara to be safe. He wanted _everyone_ he cared about to be safe. He didn't regret that choice. He just wished he'd had more time with her, more time to explore what they could have become outside of just flirtatious banter. That's not to say he didn't enjoy that. He just wished he could've know what they would have become when the banter didn't have to be platonic anymore.

Sure, he loved Sara. He loved her in a way he'd never experienced love before. He knew, though, that if he truly loved her, he would hold down that failsafe until he couldn't anymore.

 _\- Frank Outlaw_

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 **I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always greatly appreciated!**


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